


Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

by Snorp_Lord



Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 05:11:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16866742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snorp_Lord/pseuds/Snorp_Lord
Summary: Missing-persons cases tend to happen for a reason.Few people have the privilege of saying their reason was partly a bad phone call, partly a demon.





	Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gently_mad](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gently_mad/gifts).



> Inspired by @sunflower-mechanic on Tumblr's Arthur is Missing event! Go check 'em out at https://archiveofourown.org/users/gently_mad/pseuds/gently_mad

Police stations were entirely too quiet, Lewis decided.

 

Surely the last thing you would want is the company of your own thoughts? Especially if the person you brought with you wasn’t talking. Vivi was supposed to be a human white noise machine- always filling the silence when nobody else knew what to say. Lord knew she had been doing a great job at that in the last few weeks. Where he had elected to let the pauses and lulls in conversation stretch to an uncomfortable length, Vivi had stepped up impressively, going on about books she'd read or her progress with magic or the latest ‘drama’ at work, which always turned out to be just another mild disagreement between her and Chloe over something which really wasn’t all that important or even an actual _fight_ but-

 

She hadn’t spoken since they left the house two hours ago.

 

At first, he had written it off as not knowing what to say, but when he glanced at her on the drive down to the station she had an odd look on her face. Something closed, guarded. Not like _his_ Vivi, whose face was a direct line to her thoughts and who couldn’t keep a secret to save her life. Not like the Vivi who dashed into haunted houses with a beaming grin on her face, or who had to bite her lip to keep from smiling when she was about to deliver good news.

 

Arthur was going to pay for making her worry.

 

From what he gleaned, she had been ~~wasting her time~~ talking to him on the phone, and next thing she was sobbing on the floor. When he asked her what happened, she struggled, trying to choke out a reply until he gave up and focused on comforting her. Did he say something to her? Made sense, the prick was willing to kill someone- how much of a leap was saying something hurtful? Especially to Vivi. His poor beloved had a heart three sizes too big and always one sob story from bleeding. And she loved Lewis, not Arthur, so even once he'd killed his competition he couldn’t get what he wanted. Might have been why he snapped.

 

_You know that doesn’t make sense. Why kill someone for her then push her away?_

 

Nobody knows how to hurt or frustrate you like your own mind, which was why it was throwing up images of Arthur in the middle of another dingy bar, nursing another pint of lukewarm beer alone. Arthur driving away from his problems, only to wind up miles from home and alone. Arthur holed up God-knows-where alone when really he needed to be around people. That man would go crazy without having anyone to talk to, especially for as long as ten days.

 

 

Feeling his anchor shudder, he pulled himself off that train of thought. Arthur was probably fine. Probably just sulking, or laughing at them for panicking, and even though he knew somewhere inside that that was bullshit, it served its purpose and re-inflated the hatred again. Lewis Pepper was many things, but he was not an idiot. That monster had fooled him once, and it cost Lewis his life. Never again.

 

“Miss Yukino?”

 

At first she didn’t move, so he nudged her a little. “Vivi, they're ready for you.”

 

“Oh. Y-yeah sorry, that’s me,” she mumbled.

 

Despite her slightly shaking legs, she managed to stand up with little difficulty, and walked towards the detective waiting in the doorway. Lewis sent her an encouraging smile that went unnoticed. At least the detective caught it, and she gave him one in return, her mass of dark curly hair covering it once she turned to show Vivi into the interview room. Sighing despite not having lungs (or needing that air to begin with), Lewis slumped down in his hard plastic chair. Goodness knows how long Vivi was going to take.

 

He longed to drop his human guise, or at least take off his sunglasses, but they couldn’t risk having his true nature revealed, especially since that would come with a load of awkward questions. If it led back to his death, they might run an investigation, and that was honestly the last thing he wanted to do to Vivi right now. For whatever reason, she actually cared about that...that disgusting murderer.

 

That meant no matter his feelings, Arthur was sticking around. Just as well, he supposed, since trying to exact revenge on someone in prison was tantamount to shouting: _‘Hey, come exorcise me!’_

 

“Everything alright?” the receptionist asked. Nice man. Balding, thick glasses. Slightly crinkled shirt. Insignificant details that his brain was plucking out for the barest level of engagement.

 

Glanced at the clock.

 

Two minutes since Vivi left. Ugh.

 

...Stupid quiet police station. Stupid plastic chair. Stupid no-dogs policy keeping Mystery outside. For a moment, he considered going out for fresh air. Maybe he'd bring Mystery along.

 

Five minutes, in and Vivi was shuffling through the doorway with the detective in tow. He flashed her a sympathetic smile, and the sight of her weak attempt at returning it made his metaphorical heart sink. Not the physical one, that was tucked safely into his suit’s inner pockets.

 

“They wanted to talk to you, get anything I forgot,” she said. _Maybe don’t mention the vengeance thing_ being the implication.

 

Part of him wanted to just come out and tell them not to bother looking - maybe send him a photo if they found the bastard in a ditch somewhere. Then he caught Vivi's worried look, and the anger collapsed like a cardboard cut-out in a gale. Her being there was supposed to keep him grounded. On reflection, those kinds of thoughts shouldn't be surprising; if the entire reason you existed was revenge, and you were denied that revenge, it could cause...issues, right?

 

“Lewis, right?” the detective asked.

 

Strong Boston accent. Must be weird to end up in somewhere like Tempo after living somewhere as urban as New York.

 

“Yep. Lewis Pepper,” he said.

 

Wonder why she moved? Had she gotten overwhelmed by the crowds? Or maybe she was born here, and moved back to do some good for her hometown?

 

“Ok, uh, we just need to ask you some questions, see if we can’t get some more hints of where your friend might be.”

 

Friend? Had Vivi said they were close? Surely she wouldn’t, knowing what happened? Mystery might have been fooled, but she wasn’t, right?

 

“If you could come to the interview room, please?” the detective requested, standing aside and gesturing in the direction they had just come from. Time to get this over with. 

 

He stood and followed her, stepping inside just as the door closed behind him.


End file.
